Equine charity reveals over 2,000 road incidents involving horses have been recorded in East Midlands since 2016

Alarming new statistics from equine charity, British Horse Society (BHS) show that 2,095 road incidents involving horses have been recorded across the East Midlands since 2016. In 2025 alone, 182 incidents were logged – equating to one incident every two days – while eight horses have lost their lives on the region’s roads over the last decade.

BHS has collated statistics on the number of equestrian-related road incidents since 2016, as part of its Dead Slow campaign. Over the last ten years, Lincolnshire was most affected with 723 incidents recorded, followed by Derbyshire with 433 and Leicestershire with 340.

In 2025, two horses sadly lost their lives on the roads, which is double the fatalities compared to 2024. The East Midlands was the third worst affected region in the country, with only the North West and South West leading in incidents.

Michelle, a rider from Leicestershire, was involved in an incident in 2025. She said: “I feel very upset that people seemingly don’t care if we get hurt or if our horses are hurt on the road, they just drive past and don’t give it a second thought.

“There are so many people with negative views of horses on the roads. We get things shouted at us, such as ‘go and ride on the fields’ or ‘you don’t pay road tax so you shouldn’t be on the road’!”

“These figures still reflect a lack of clear change, despite the introduction of the highway code guidance for passing horses four years ago, and an urgent need for more concrete steps to be taken by the government to save our horses. “

Overall, 19,500 incidents have been recorded on BHS’s Horse i app across the UK since 2016, with the percentage of those passing too quickly rising by an eye-watering 168% since 2018.

Alan Hiscox, Director of Safety at British Horse Society said: “The Highway Code rules, which came into force on 29 January 2022, were meant to mark a significant shift in road behaviour across Britain. After lots of hard work, lobbying and collaboration, the advisory speed for passing people riding horses or driving horse-drawn vehicles at 10mph was finally included, along with advising drivers to allow at least two metres of space.

“Additionally, our community were set to benefit from a new Hierarchy of Road Users, with horse riders, alongside pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, recognised as road users most likely to be injured in the event of a collision.

“Despite this, we remain disappointed to see that not nearly enough has been done to reinforce these behavioural messages and to make the public aware of the urgent importance of driving carefully around horses. You only have to look at the statistics to know this.”

“In its continued mission to stop horses from being killed on our roads, the charity is calling for the government to invest more into a stronger awareness campaign so that we can keep this issue firmly on the national agenda. This call has been backed by MPs during a recent parliamentary debate on horse and rider road safety.”

Alan added: “Eight horses’ lives lost in just one region is eight too many. Behind every statistic is a devastated, traumatised owner and a community that feel that loss deeply. We’re incredibly grateful to every MP, particularly MP Lee Dillon who led January’s debate, as they come together to amplify riders’ voices and push for practical, common-sense solutions to protect our community.

“But we need to see greater collective action if we’re going to make a real difference to equestrian safety. We continue to be overlooked, which is evident in the recently released road safety strategy where horses are still not included in the targeted measures for vulnerable groups. Until this changes, we won’t stop pushing for meaningful progress and an approach that combines education, prevention and enforcement of the rules. We owe it to everyone who loves horses as much as we do and every horse in our lives.”

As Dead Slow enters its second decade, BHS remains committed to working with MPs, road user groups, police forces across the UK and the equestrian industry to reinforce the need for a major road safety awareness campaign.

The charity is also urging the general public to report any incidents they witness on the roads using the Horse i app, which gathers data to help strengthen the equestrian community’s voice when implementing positive changes.

To find out more about BHS Dead Slow and the Horse i app, please visit: www.bhs.org.uk/dead-slow